Mitch McGary Suspended One Year By NCAA For Failed Marijuana Test, Entering the NBA Draft

It’s not John Sinclair, but it’s still patently ridiculous. Michigan’s Mitch McGary will enter the 2014 NBA Draft, after the NCAA suspended him one year for a failed marijuana test. McGary, injured, was wearing a uniform during Michigan’s Sweet 16 game against Tennessee. He was subjected to a random drug test after the game. Michigan appealed the decision and was denied.

Had McGary failed a Michigan drug test, he would have been suspended three games. Had McGary smoked a joint in front of a police officer in Ann Arbor, he would have been subject to a $25 fine. The NCAA reduced its own punishment, effective August 1st, to six months.

If athletes are indeed “students” and not “employees,” why are they being tested for recreational drugs at all?